TheCable

Liverpool will slug it out with Real Madrid in the Champions League final, after surviving a scare at the Stadio Olimpico to defeat Roma 7-6 on aggregate.

Roma needed another miracle after a 5-2 shellacking in the first leg and were so close on the night, with two late goals earning them a 4-2 win against a Liverpool side who looked rather relaxed for most of the match.

The Rome outfit were on the attack from kick off but Liverpool took a ninth-minute lead through Saido Mane. The Senegalese finished for his ninth goal of the competition after Liverpool countered through an uncharacteristic stray pass from Radja Nainggolan. The Barcelona conquerors responded in the fifteenth minute through an own goal via James Milner who couldn’t get out of the way of a Roma cross.

Giorgino Wijnaldum, starting in place of the injured Oxlade-Chamberlain, however, restored Liverpool’s lead with a free header from a poorly cleared corner kick. The home side hit the post in a frenetic close to the first half but Liverpool held on to the lead at the break.

The Gialorrossi equalized early in the second half, El-Sharawy’s fancy footwork set up Edin Dzeko, and the striker finished to reset the game at 2-2 on the night.

Roma laid siege to Liverpool’s goal but were denied by good saves from Karius, who saved well from Dzeko on three occasions while Patrick Schick wasted good opportunities.

Radja Nainggolan redeemed himself with the third goal on 85 minutes, scoring a trademark shot from distance which struck the base of the post with Karius an onlooker between the sticks.

Liverpool ensured there would be no capitulation with time wasting tactics and a flurry of changes to run down the clock. However, there was still time for one more goal from the spot in added time through Nainggolan to make it 4-2. Substitute defender, Klavan, clumsily handled in the box and the Belgian midfielder blasted through the middle for more consolation to the grateful Roma fans who duly applauded their effort.

The final whistle immediately after the restart ensured Liverpool survived a scare, and would square up with defending Champions, Real Madrid, in the final on May 26 at the Olympic stadium in Kiev, Ukraine.